


A Night Too Normal

by This_house_belongs_to_Stapler



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Breaking and Entering, Dissociation, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29568981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/This_house_belongs_to_Stapler/pseuds/This_house_belongs_to_Stapler
Summary: After a fight with Neil, Billy decides that to sneak out, get some air, and try to sort out his head.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Neil Hargrove
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	A Night Too Normal

**Author's Note:**

> TW/CW:  
> This story contains mention of abuse, dissociation, and contains cursing. If these things are triggering or uncomfortable, please find a new, happier story to read.

Billy hadn't snuck out of the house since he moved to Hawkins. The town was small, yeah, but he still didn't know where the best places to hide out were, where the police were least likely to tell him to leave, and he didn't know if a rinky dink town like this had a curfew. What he did know was that he would rather be anywhere but in his room right now.  
Even though it had been a while, Billy was still a pro at getting out without a sound. Despite his strong build, the boy could be real fucking quiet when he needed to be. He looked around the room for his wallet, and made his way to his window. Billy had never opened a window so carefully in his life. Another thing Billy hadn't learned since moving to Hawkins: what parts of the house made noise, and which ones were loud enough to get Neil's attention.  
Eventually the window was open enough for Billy to slip through. Billy didn't think he breathed at all the entire time he climbed out until his feet were on the ground outside. He felt around his pockets to make sure nothing fell out and started walking, making sure to stay out of sight of the windows. It may be dark, but he wasn't going to take the chance of Susan, or worse Niel, seeing him walking away from the house.  
After about twenty minutes of sneaking through neighbor's backyards he moved down to walk down the road. It wasn't often that Billy went walking, he preferred driving, but he couldn't he not drive without someone noticing.  
As he walked by all the houses in his neighborhood, making his way towards the town, his mind was so full of thoughts. All he wanted was for nights like these to stop, but they instead happened far too often. Billy couldn't remember the last time he didn't have a decent bruise somewhere. It had become his normal, and something that nobody else would consider to be.  
He hated everything about his dad. He hated the looks he gave him, when he got up in his face, how looking at him in the eye to show fake respect made his vision feel darker, but most of all he hated how small it made him feel. He hated how it made him feel like a scared kid again, how even after all this time Neil still had power over him, and he knew it.  
Before he even realized Billy was in the town of Hawkins, walking down Main Street. He looked into the store windows as he walked. Nothing of interest, all of them closed. It was just something for him to look at instead of thinking. He didn't know where he was going, but something about that with the mix of being alone was peaceful. Nobody there to see the bruises on his face in the dim light.  
However, Billy soon decided that one or two people seeing a couple bruises was worth getting a drink from the gas station, that to his surprise, was still open. Walking out with a Mountain Dew and a bag of pretzels, he decided he knew where he wanted to go.  
The pool.  
Why Billy wanted to go to work was beyond him, but he knew he had a key to get in, and that was a better plan than walking around with no purpose. But when he reached the gate he realized he had left his keys at home. After all, he hadn't planned on this.  
"God damnit," Billy said through gritted teeth, hitting the gate with a rattle. He looked around, deciding that he was getting into this fucking pool. Walking around the edge of the fence, finding a spot that looked the most sturdy and started climbing. He managed to get a little under half of the way down the other side when he saw headlights coming his way. He looked down behind him and then back at the road, seeing the headlights on the pavement getting brighter by the second. Deciding that getting caught wasn't part of his game plan, he jumped down from the fence. He landed on his feet just fine, but he realized that standing in the open wasn't much better. So he did the most obvious thing and quickly got in the pool, trying to move the water as little as possible. He held himself underwater and just sat there, eyes open, chlorine burning them. When he came up from the water he immediately got out and looked down at his dripping clothing. He squeezed his eyes shut in annoyance. He looked across the pool at the where the changing rooms and showers were. He angrily walked, more like strudged, over to the room and opened his locker, hoping he had left his uniform behind. Which happened to be the one good thing that had happened tonight.  
Knowing he couldn't get into the back to change, he stripped down and changed there. He picked up his drenched clothes and walked back to where his drink and pretzels were. He sat on one of the lawn chairs and closed his eyes. He just sat and listened to the water move for a while, Every once in a while looking up at the sky. He knew he couldn't stay here all night. Eventually someone would find him, whether that was the police or the manager in the morning was debatable.  
Billy didn't know what time it was, just that it was late. He knew he should head back soon, but God he didn't want to. Going back to the house with the guy you can't even call Dad to his face was the last thing he wanted. But at the same time, it was the harsh reality of things. He knew that eventually he was going to have to go home before Neil knew he left.  
He stood up and walked to the fence, food and drink abandoned, and climbed over the same way he came. When his feet hit the ground and he started walking part of his anger had left. Another part of him was never going to not be mad. Anyone who encountered Billy probably knew that he was just, 'like that,'. Which he honestly didn't mind. He would rather people know that they had no chance against him than think that they had any right to get in his face.  
As Billy got to the house he started slowing down as much as he could at while still moving. Once again climbing fences to cut through backyards. The surreal haze in his head made him want to just stop walking all together. He didn't want to walk the other direction, or go back to the pool. He just wanted to stand outside, and never move. But he didn't stop. He didn't try to avoid the inevitable. He walked up to his window like he was floating above his body. He reached up to the window pane and pulled himself up with his arms, being just as quiet as he was when he left.  
Tonight felt like it was dragging on, and he was done with it. He picked up the alarm clock next to his bed. Titling it up to see it was just under 2:30. He closed his window with a squeak he wasn't expecting, which made him listen for footsteps that didn't come. He didn't know what he expecting, it was 2:30 in the fucking morning.  
It wasn't until he laid down that he realized how tired he was. His body felt like it was a hundred times heavier, and he could feel the bags under his eyes. He didn't even manage to turn over before he realized that he was falling asleep, and good God was he ready for it.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this story please leave a comment and either tell me what you liked, or tell me how you think I could improve.


End file.
